This week in Brexitland, July 6, 2023

Why the Brexiters are so convinced the “riots in France” argument is a slam dunk for Brexit - and how it exposes their deep irrationality

Many Brexiters across social media have enjoyed sharing pictures of the civil unrest in France over the past week. Even when it is occasionally not actually footage from our next-door neighbours they have been putting about but in fact, images from riots in America at different times over the last several years. This is deeply ironic given the Brexiters like to use the fact that bad stuff is happening in France as proof positive that leaving the EU was the right thing, when they would never argue that because several sorts of undesirable things take place in the US all the time, that means we should cut off all relations with the Americans. Although, having said that, they almost are crazy enough to argue that now given Biden is president, so I guess I should watch it with my ridiculous analogies. In the 2020s, what seems so nuts as to be parody one day will be taken as assumed beliefs the next.

Let’s get this out of the way before we move onto weightier things: that some unpleasant stuff sometimes happens in continental Europe is possibly the worst reason why Brexit is supposed to be good anyone has come up with yet. “Yeah, but it’s a civil war!” the more delirious of the Brexiters will bawl. No, it isn’t. It’s bad, I won’t duck that, but there are people I know who live in Paris who haven’t had their lives seriously affected by what’s happened so far, never mind people I know who live elsewhere in France. It’s like when the riots happened in Peckham in 2011. I myself lived in Peckham at the time, but if you looked out my front door, you’d have no idea it was even happening. Yet if I watched CNN, it became clear that someone watching in Boston or New York would have the impression that all of London was burning to the ground.

Also, bad stuff happens everywhere, all the time. The fact that there are all sorts of things that happen in America that are so bad, they go beyond most Europeans’ comprehension does not make having a trade deal with the US an undesirable thing. Just as being outside of a the largest single market in the world, one that contains every neighbouring country to Great Britain, does not become a good idea just because some anarchists fight with cops in Paris. Just as Welsh independence wouldn’t suddenly become obvious to everyone if some Swansea City supporters got in a barmy with the police following a football match. That isn’t an argument against Welsh independence either, it’s just that if Plaid Cymru based their arguments for Wales leaving the UK on the behaviour of Swansea City fans one particular weekend, I would say their approach left something to be desired.

All right then, why do the Brexiters engage in such spurious arguments? There are two main reasons. One is that they don’t have any good arguments for Brexit left, so they have to reach into the bottom of the barrel and find the “riots in France = imposing trade sanctions on ourselves was a great idea” card next to the “Vaccine rollout! Vaccine rollout!” and “Putin would have invaded Britain if we were still in the EU!” embarrassments.

The other reason they do stuff like this is more profound: they banked everything on the EU falling to pieces. So much so that whenever any tiny sign of this happening shows up now, they pounce on it like a starving animal jumping on a stale crumb of bread. They were so sure that if the UK voted to leave the EU, the European Union would start to quickly unravel. Every country would have a different idea of how they wanted to handle Brexit and this would break the EU apart. Sweden would leave, the Netherlands would leave, Ireland would realise they had to leave now for some reason, then you’d get one of the big ones leaving, probably Italy. There would be panic in Brussels and all sorts of deals would be cut with the leaving parties, trying to keep the continent together in some fashion. Out of the chaos, Britain would prosper.

As we know, the precise opposite thing occurred. The vote to Leave united the EU in a way nothing else probably ever could have. Even formerly vocal Eurosceptics on the continent have slid away from it as the idea of departing from the EU became ever more toxic with the EU electorate following Brexit.

And the Brexiters will never get over this. In their heart of hearts they know this all important thing not happening essentially invalidates the whole of Brexit. Sure, they cling to the “sovereignty” shit and pathetic stuff like the vaccine rollout argument, but that’s because the reality of it is too difficult to confront. Brexit didn’t work out the way it was supposed to and that’s heartbreaking for them.

Except when something like the French riots happen, and then they all briefly feel a flicker of hope in their hearts. It’s like being at a football match, deep in the second half, your club down 4-0 - but then they steal one back and it’s only 4-1. Everything comes to life in the stands for a few minutes with that little shred of hopes going round. Then the other team scores again and it’s 5-1 and reality sets back in.

I weirdly have some sympathy for the Brexiters, even though I probably shouldn’t. It’s tough to see a dream die; for the things you placed all your hope in to work out as badly as possible. To not just be wrong about what you thought was going to happen but for the precise opposite of what you predicted to come true. I can only say to them: better to face the truth and try and move on. Don’t cling to the past and the hope of something you know to now be dead. Brexit didn’t work out the way you hoped it would. That’s okay. Shit happens. Come to terms with it now and save yourselves years of having to start screaming in ecstasy like a porn star every time there’s a factory workers strike in Kaiserslautern or a mild uprising against the police in Valladolid. There are better things to do with the rest of your lives, trust me.

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